Happy 70th BDay

Its Not A Fish Story. Dad Your 70 Years Old.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD. Can't believe you are 70 years old.

The family all came together to plan a "surprise" party for Dad at the fair. Dad knew we would be doing something for then big day but not this. There was a great gathering of family and close friends that met Dad at the campground for a potluck meal and cake.

The night continued with tons of stories and smiles.


Some people just can't wait to start a party so they met Dad on the fairgrounds for a margarita or two.


Then it was time to sing Happy Birthday at the campers! Some sang louder than others.


Check out the great food. There is few meals better than a potluck. Amazingly will all the healthy appetites there was still food remaining. They were cleaned up the next day as leftovers. hhhmm


Here is a picture of the family all sporting the "birthday boy" shirts. It was great to have everyone matching and focusing the attention on Dad.


Here is a little inside joke. Dad got a little pink bike helmet. I just had to include the picture because the it just makes me smile.

The FAIR is HERE!!!

It seems that I was not the only guy to have the idea of heading to the fair for the day. This means there is prime people watching. The weather was great with uncommonly cool temperatures and a nice breeze.


This year I got to see the classic cars. I have been going to the fair as long as I can remember and have only seen the show cars a couple of times. This picture was taken while I was walking the fair with my sister and niece. I won't say they are motorheads, but we still had fun enjoying the sparkling cars, engines, and hosts.


I did walk some with my brother and the other niece too. This is the way to take in the fair. Brent did offer to let me ride in the wagon, but only when a large down hill slope nearby.


Here is some of the "free" entertainment that is available at the fair. This was a great show that the kids really enjoyed. Of course means that I enjoyed the show!


Another smile caught on film. This little "princess" is getting good at playing for the camera. When your that cute you can be a ham and get away with it.

Brent also knows how to be a ham for the camera.


The fair is never complete until there is a pony ride.


And don't forget the petting and feeding of the animals. Here I was with enjoying the fair with Dad, Patty, and her family. It was fun to see the fair through their eyes for the first time.


And finally the homes on wheels. One perk to camping beside friends and family is you can break the mold and setup your own "court yard". My toy is at the far end. The two "little" campers on the sides are my brother's and Dads. This is just a preamble of the many camping trips still to come.

the Gathering is about to begin

The Iowa State Fair is about to begin.


Tomorrow the fun begins. The campers (Dad's, Brent's, Mine) are all at the fair. I look forward to the fair because it is where the family and old friends always gather. And then we CELEBRATE!

Relay for life

It is time for the Relay for life. If you don't participate in this event you should find your local event and join in. This is a great support system for those that are fighting cancer and also for their family. Mom worked with this event when she was diagnosed with cancer and participated in the following years. The torch has been passed and now "we" (the family) carry on.



This Years Theme:



Camper1

This is an all night event so I brought my own bed!

Camper2

Brent also brought his bed, which is a little bigger. But as I have stated before, "Size does not matter".

Some walkers

As you can see here there was a pretty good turn out. Yes, little Alley was there too. She likes to "walk with Grandma Audrey". I know Mom was smiling the whole time.

Final Lap

Pictured here is the final lap. Brent was incredible again by walking for 12 continuous hours AGAIN. I believe this makes the 4th year in a row for him walking all 12 hours. If you think this is an easy task just try it. GREAT JOB Brent for raising the money and supporting the Relay for Life this much!

County Fair

Well the county fair has been here and gone already. The local fair is a great fair. There is no better place to meet friends and celebrate local talent. Don't forget the great food too.

Opening Day Parade

Now here is a group of guys having fun. Is this the perk to joining the "Zag-a-Zigs".


Parade Gathing

For the parade friends and neighbors gathered in the front yard of the neighbor's house. Ok, I'll be honest I invited myself and friends to the yard and made an impromptu party. Nothing tastes better on a hot day then lemonade (with some vodka). Funny how that will helps to get people to gather together.

Candy Candy Candy

Who says the candy at a parade is only for the kids. Here and the neighbor are out picking up the sweet morsels being thrown at us. The more we picked up the more they threw at us.

Is the parade over?

So the parade might have ended a few hours ago, but we didn't notice. In fact several of the floats stopped by see what was going on. It was a great party that mixed several groups of people. I look forward to next years parade.

New toy

This might be a little more than I really need, but who is judging. Found a sweet deal on an old camper in pretty good shape. Ends up it was an old friend's family camper. Right away the camper was initiated with a trip to Clear Lake with my brother's family. My goddaughter checked out each bed and said they are GREAT!!! So who is up for camping?


If you think that the camper looks like it is crammed into this spot and your right. In fact the neighbors came over to watch me try and back this thing into the drive.


Side two. Obviously the camper has a slide out. The bummer with the slide out is that it totally blocks the garage. I guess I don't need to park inside anyways.


Here is the mobile living room and kitchen.

Interested in a campfire? Tell me when and where and I will meet you there.

Now this is Fishing

I recently returned from a great trip up to Canada for fishing. 10 guys, big fish, and poker what else could you ask for. There was a new group record fish seen. Yes, I said seen but not caught. Randy pulled a ~50 inch Musky up to the boat but the three guys could not figure out how to get the monster fish (named Gone-Again) into the boat.

As for myself I had some good fish but no new records. The biggest fish actually caught was a 36" Northern. Check out some of the pictures below.


Now this is living!!! Pictured is my Dad relaxing while we troll.


Here is the whole gang.


It wasn't all work, we did some relaxation too.


Here is Todd working the bay at lunch island. Some people just can't get enough time with their line in the water.


Here is Dad floating my boat with me fishing. Of course this is before the boat broke.


Here is my "monster".


One of Dad's monsters.


Brian's "big one". This fish wasn't the longest one caught this trip but it fought like it was. The good news is the whole event is caught on a video by his brother. This man is luck because he caught a big fish with the whole gang present.


Last but not least is Matt's big fish. It was a monster but Brian wasn't letting him take all the credit. Brian was driving the boat. Look at the smile on Matt's face, I think he was in love.